Foreword

Meeting the global challenge

In 2003, in the midst of a global health crisis, the United States Government (USG) established the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). On the African continent alone, some 30 million people were infected with HIV, but only 50,000 had access to treatment. Patients were dying at alarming rates, and the cost to treat a single patient was up to $10,000 per year.

SCMS In Brief

Targeting transformation

In the midst of the global AIDS crisis, many of the hardest-hit countries lacked the public health supply chain infrastructure to rapidly and effectively respond. Systems were challenged by frequent stockouts, overstocks, expiries, and wastage. Through PEPFAR, under USAID leadership, SCMS was established to provide life saving ARVs to patients.

Overcomming Development Roadblocks

Innovating for impact

To meet the needs of the millions living with HIV/AIDS, we knew we had to do more than shore up the basic foundations of physical, organizational, and human infrastructure. Modern technologies, breakthroughs in procurement and pricing, and structural innovations were needed to create new models of development that could successfully address public health supply chain challenges. Ingenuity would be key to overcoming development roadblocks.

Saving Money, Saving Lives

Smart strategies for return on investment

SCMS implements innovative strategies and approaches to generate efficiencies all along the supply chain. As fundamental systems are strengthened to be more effective, cost savings are being leveraged to increase the funding available to treat more patients.

Accelerating country ownership

From Public to Private Sector

Redefining capacity building

At SCMS, we see developing countries’ increasing economic growth, expanding political leadership, and growing private sectors as opportunities to move beyond traditional training and capacity-building models that focus heavily on the public sector.
In response, we are creating innovative programs to strengthen both public- and private-sector supply chains.

Stability in Uncertain Markets

Securing the supply chain

We live in a volatile world. The movement of goods by air, ocean, and road is in constant danger of disruption, whether due to political strife, industrious criminal elements, natural disasters, labor disputes, or simple accidents. For people with HIV, daily doses of medication and routine testing are lifelong necessities. Their commodities must be continuously available, no matter what. SCMS places a high priority on security of supply. In the face of unprecedented security challenges, the agility, flexibility, and resilience of SCMS’s supply chain has enabled us to deliver health care commodities and ensure that quality drugs reach the right hands: those of waiting patients.

Maximizing Impact

Global Collaboration

Winning the global fight against HIV/AIDS requires the close collaboration of many stakeholders. The SCMS project structure, approaches, and every facet of the project’s mission depend on these partnerships. We work within this complex network of local and global players to share market knowledge, supply chain expertise, best practices, and lessons learned to increase the impact of health interventions and reach more people.

Afterword

A legacy of change: Achieving an AIDS-free generation

For the last 10 years, on behalf of the USG, SCMS has successfully operated the largest public heath supply chain in the world. Today, SCMS procures more than 70% of all ARVs directly funded by PEPFAR.

SCMS MILESTONES BUILDING THE SHIP WHILE SAILING

When SCMS began 10 years ago, PEPFAR lacked the luxury of time. The needs of patients suffering from HIV required immediate scale-up of the largest public health supply chain project in the world. We would have to build the ship while sailing.

With the support of the USG and the project’s many partners in-country and around the world, SCMS has achieved many milestones on the road to providing a safe, reliable supply of treatment to patients in need.

February 2006

SCMS hosts first Supplier Summit to introduce the project to prospective suppliers and to make them aware of the USG federal acquisition regulation (FAR) before issuing tenders

May 2006

Côte d’Ivoire places the project’s first order for lab items

May 2006

First country offices open in Guyana and Haiti

June 2006

Appointed Technical Secretariat of the Coordinated Procurement Planning Committee (CPP)

July 2006

First ARV samples tested at North-West University

September 2006

First RDC operational in Ghana

October 2006

SCMS hits first $1 million in laboratory commodity deliveries

December 2006

72% of ARVs procured by SCMS are generic rather than more expensive branded ARVs

January 2007

Second RDC operational in Kenya

February 2007

Third RDC operational in South Africa

December 2007

SCMS achieves more than $149 million in savings by switching from branded to generic ARVs

January 2008

SCMS supports the Strengthening Laboratory Systems Conference where 33 countries endorsed the Maputo Declaration on Laboratory Harmonization of HIV Diagnosis and Treatment which became a guiding principle for the project’s lab strategy

February 2008

SCMS’s first electronic logistics management information system (eLMIS) goes live in Zimbabwe

February 2008

First product recall is made as a result of SCMS quality assurance (QA) program: moldy co-trimoxazole

April 2008

First PEPFAR methadone delivery is made to Vietnam. This drug replacement therapy is critical to the country’s strategy to address HIV, targeting the key exposed population of injecting drug users

The Supply Chain Management System (SCMS) is implemented by the Partnership for Supply Chain Management, Inc. This website was made possible through the support of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief through the US Agency for International Development (USAID) under the terms of contract no. GPO-I-00-05-00032-00. The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of USAID or the US government.